On Monday, Meta Platforms announced an important decision that will significantly impact how its artificial intelligence (AI) models are developed within the European Union (EU). The tech giant stated that it will leverage interactions from users on its platformssuch as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsAppalong with public posts and comments made by adult users, in order to train its AI systems.

This move comes on the heels of Meta's AI technology launch in Europe last month, which had originally been scheduled for June 2024. However, the rollout was postponed due to raising concerns over data protection and privacy regulations that are particularly stringent within the EU. The companys AI services had already made their debut in the United States in 2023, but the European rollout presented unique challenges that needed to be addressed.

As part of this initiative, Meta has committed to informing EU users about how their data may be utilized. Users will begin to receive notifications detailing the types of data the company intends to use for AI training. In an effort to maintain transparency and give users control over their personal information, Meta will also provide a link to a form that allows individuals to opt out of their data being used for these purposes.

Importantly, while the company plans to use information generated by users, such as queries and questions directed toward Meta AI, it will not include private messages in its data set. Additionally, content from users under the age of 18 will be excluded from this training process, in line with EU regulations designed to protect minors online.

The European Commission has not yet provided a response regarding Metas recent announcements, leaving many observers curious about how regulatory bodies will react to these developments.

It is worth noting that Meta's decision to pause the rollout of its AI models in Europe last June was significantly influenced by the Ireland Data Protection Commission (DPC). The DPC had advised the company to postpone its plans for utilizing social media posts in AI training, following a wave of criticism from advocacy groups such as NOYB, which called on national privacy regulators to prevent this kind of data usage.

Moreover, the scrutiny surrounding AI data usage is not limited to Meta. Other tech giants like Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) and Alphabet's Google have also come under examination by the Irish privacy regulator. X is currently facing an investigation concerning its practices related to training its AI system, Grok, with data derived from EU users. Similarly, the DPC initiated a probe into Google in September to determine whether the company adequately safeguarded users' data prior to its application in AI model development.